Military history as it should be written sound in reasoning precise in detail & firmly placed within the relevant political military & social contexts. It incorporates the testimony of private & general & does not shirk where necessary from passing judgement or according praise. The battles: Ticonderoga 1758. The French defeat the English; Queenston Heights 1812. Brock defeats an American invasion; Ridgeway 1866. Fenians invade the Niagara; Leliefontein 1900. Gallant rearguard action in the Boer War; Moreuil Wood 1918. Rare & disastrous cavalry action in the First World War; Le Mesnil-Patry 1944. Enthusiasm & courage unavailing in the face of the Waffen SS; Kapelsche Veer 1945. Unnecessary & costly fight for a boggy Dutch isl&. ...

Every year in Afghanistan after winter has passed & the opium poppies have been harvested local men re-emerge to confront the latest foreign 'invader' & the fighting season begins again. The soldier's experience is full of contrasts. From the thrill of adventure in a vast open country to the frustration of being withdrawn from action by behind-the-scenes bureaucrats; from watching a friend fall victim to a suicide bomber to being charmed by ordinary people caught in the conflict. Fighting Season is a no-holds-barred account that will change the reader's view of the Afghan campaign & offers a true perspective on the West's ability to fight terrorism & promote democracy in foreign lands. ...

This stunning collection of over 170 large-format colour illustrations

Includes:: paintings of ships

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On 27 August 1979 Paul Burns's life changed for ever. Travelling through Warren Point in Northern Ireland when the IRA detonated two massive bombs he was involved in a devastating explosion
- eighteen soldiers were killed that day; Paul was one of only two who survived. Newly recruited to the Parachute Regiment Paul was performing a tour of duty in Northern Ireland when a four-tonne truck in which he was travelling was destroyed by a massive IRA bomb. Eighteen of his friends & colleagues were killed in the Warrenpoint blast
- the biggest single loss of life for the British Army during the Troubles. Paul barely survived. His body was broken. His left leg was amputated below the knee. His skin was burned down to the bone. Those who saw him wondered if it might not be kinder to let him die. At just eighteen Paul thought his life was over. But he refused to be beaten. He had made a promise to himself that he would make up for the loss of his friends' lives by living his own life to the full. & just over five years later he was a member of the elite parachute display team The Red Devils. In 1996 he entered the record books as a member of ' Time & Tide': the first ever disabled crew to sail around the world. Today he works as a disabled extra in tv & film
- amongst his accolades he can count a role in Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator. His story is a remarkable tale of one man's determination to make the most of his life against the odds.


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Commanded by the controversial Major-General Ivo Thomas the 43rd (Wessex) Division was branded the Fighting Yellow Devils out of respect by its Wehrmacht & Waffen SS opponents. The 43rds distinctive divisional badge of a golden Wyvern
- half-serpent half-dragon
- was to be seen in all the ferocious battles in Normandy the Low Countries & Germany between June 1944 & May 1945. They suffered 12 500 casualties including 3 000 killed in action. The 43rd had its roots firmly in the West of England drawing its infantry battalions from the county regiments of Cornwall Dorset Hampshire Somerset Wiltshire & Worcester with occasional reinforcements during the Normandy campaign by foreign regiments from Berkshire Essex & other counties. This book tells the story of the divisions campaign in Northwest Europe from Normandy to Bremerhaven in the words of the soldiers who actually fought with it: privates sergeants & young company commanders all have their individual tales to tell. Here are first-hand accounts of the landings on the shores of Normandy; the battles for the River Odon Hill 112 Maltot & Mont Pincon; the break-out to the River Seine & the forcing of the vital bridgehead at Vernon; the only infantry division to make a single-handed attempt to relieve Arnhem
- a gallant & costly failure; the clearance of the Roer triangle (Operation Blackcock) & the Reichswald (Operation Veritable); the crossing of the River Rhine & the advance northwards to take the port of Bremen; & the final triumphant advance to the Cuxhaven peninsula northwest of Hamburg.


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The illustrator Andrew Loomis (1892-1959) is revered amongst artists
- including comics superstar Alex Ross
- for his mastery

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Fashion drawings are the primary means of visualising ideas & concepts in costume & fashion design. To give an accurate impression of what is in a designer's mind it is vital to master the rules of figure drawing as well as grasp stylisation & exaggeration techniques that let you add individuality & style. This new edition of FIGURE DRAWING FOR FASHION DESIGN
- fully revised updated & greatly expanded
- offers a concise topic by topic guide to acquiring & perfecting these skills concentrating on the female form. The coverage provided means that this book is ideal both for those who want to apply themselves professionally to fashion design & for all enthusiasts of drawing the human body. 352 pages more than 1.5 00 illustrations 4 chapters: 1) Drawing the female figure
- a very comprehensive course in drawing all parts of the female body 2) The figure in fashion
- teaches you how to draw specifically for fashion design & presentation 3) Fashion design
- provides & introduction into what is required to design & draw new collections & 4) Garment drawing & design
- what you need to know to make accurate technical drawings of whole garments details trimmings etc.





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Figure Drawing for Mens Fashion focuses on the male form in fashion design. It offers a concise topic-by-topic guide to acquiring & perfecting the skills needed to produce realistic & precise fashion plates that accurately reflect a designers creative vision. The authors Elizabetta Drudi & Tiziana Paci have decades of experience in the fashion industry & have created an invaluable resource for designers illustrators & artists. The breadth of information & attention to detail make this title ideal for students professionals & anyone who enjoys fashion design. ...

Chris Hart has a head for figures
- human figures that is. Not only does he draw them with incredible style & flair he also has
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The first figureheads that were carved to represent the names of British warships appeared during the reign of Henry VIII; the last ones were carved in the early years of the twentieth century. During the intervening three hundred & fifty years it is estimated that some 5000 ships of the Royal Navy carried a figurehead of some description. This book follows the development of these diverse carvings examining how the figurehead carvers interpreted the names & the symbolism incorporated in their designs. Evidence is drawn from a wide range of sources: contemporary ship models ship plans designs submitted for approval of the Navy Board & of course from those figureheads that have survived. Lavishly illustrated with much previously unpublished material the book explores the wide range of subjects that were represented on the bows of Their Majesties Ships & recounts many of the stories that were told about them. The narrative is complemented by a catalogue that provides a brief description of each surviving figurehead each carvers design drawing with its source & reference number as well as those ship plans & contemporary models that show the figureheads detail. This combination makes the book useful to a wide range of historians researchers & anyone with an interest in Britains maritime past. ...